Since She Walked In, Where Has Your Mind Been?
by MsWriteNow
Summary: Prompt filled: "Wait a minute; are you jealous?" Takes place between 1x10 and 1x11 - Willa is back, and Waverly needs a place to crash.


Nicole stopped at one of the few stop lights they had in town and looked over to her passenger seat where Waverly sat. She watched as the youngest Earp stared out the window, immersed in her own world. The air was filled with tension but not the type Nicole would have hoped for.

Waverly's long lost sister had mysteriously reappeared and caused the youngest sister to feel uneasy. Waverly didn't know what it was, but she didn't feel comfortable enough to sleep under the same roof as Willa tonight. She almost called Champ - out of pure habit - but she remembered that was no longer an option. She had been unsure if calling Nicole was a good idea. They were still getting used to being more than just friends with one another. She didn't want to cross a line so early in their relationship. Thankfully, Nicole was more than willing to allow Waverly to spend the night.

When the light turned green, Nicole continued driving as she tried to think of something to say to Waverly. But before she knew it, they were parked outside her home, and the silence had yet to be broken. She turned to Waverly who was still lost in a trance.

"Wave," Nicole said softly. She received no response. "Waverly," she tried again. This time, she gently touched the smaller girl's arm.

Waverly jumped at the touch and accidentally rammed her elbow into the door. "Ow!"

"Hey, sorry," Nicole pulled her hand back, "I didn't mean to startle you. We're here."

"What?" Waverly's face was filled with confusion. She looked up, "Oh, okay." She became quiet again and made her way out of the car.

Nicole sighed. She hated seeing Waverly like this. She didn't even know that the bubbly girl she had gotten to know could get in a slump like this. God, it broke her heart to see Waverly like this. She ran to the front of her car and grabbed Waverly's overnight bag out of her hand. She replaced the bag with her hand as she guided them to her home. Relief washed over her when Waverly didn't pull her hand away.

As they walked in, a graying orange cat who was missing half her left ear and had a wobbly gait greeted them.

"Hey there, Buttercup," Nicole greeted. She let go of Waverly's hand and the overnight bag to bend over and rub behind the cat's shorter ear. A soft meow greeted her back. She looked up at Waverly, so she could introduce her cat to her new friend. "This is Waverly. Waves, this is my baby, Buttercup."

Nicole had never seen anyone jump from one emotion to another as fast as Waverly just did. Her face had instantly brightened up.

"But before you get your hopes up, she doesn't warm up to people quickly. In fact, it took several weeks of visiting her at the pound before she warmed up to me." Nicole hadn't even finished speaking before Buttercup walked up to Waverly. The orange cat rubbed herself against Waverly's legs while purring. Nicole was absolutely baffled.

"Wow, she's absolutely adorable," Waverly said as she bent down to get a closer view of the aging cat. She looked over at Nicole and noticed a confused look on her face. "What?" Her smile dropped a little. "Is something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing. It's just that… She's never been like this with anyone before." Nicole watched fondly as Waverly gently handled Buttercup. "Anyways," Nicole shook her head as she stood up, "you'll sleep in my bedroom tonight which is this way." She grabbed the overnight bag and started towards the bedroom.

"Wait," Waverly said as she stood up. "What about you?"

Nicole stopped walking. "I'll sleep on the couch," Nicole casually shrugged.

"No way," Waverly protested. "Nicole, I am not kicking you out of your bed. I should take the couch." She moved to grab her bag which Nicole moved out of her reach just in time.

"Waves," Nicole said as she gently brushed a stray hair behind the smaller girl's ear, "I insist." She entwined her fingers with Waverly and made her way to the bedroom again. "Plus, it's my place, and I decided that you will sleep in my bed tonight."

"Nicole, if you sleep on the couch, I'm sleeping on the floor!" Waverly said defiantly as she dropped Nicole's hand and placed her own on her hips.

Nicole sighed. "I mean, we could always - no no, never mind."

"What is it? Because I wasn't kidding about sleeping on the floor." This made Nicole smile. This girl in front of her was the most genuinely selfless person she had ever met.

"I was just going to say that um," Nicole suddenly became nervous. "I have a queen-sized bed, so there's more than plenty of space for, you know, both of us to sleep in it." Nicole was certain that her face was starting to match her hair. It wasn't like she was propositioning Waverly, but she may as well have been with how nervous she felt.

"Oh!" Waverly responded. "Well, yeah. That does work. It is a queen, and that's usually the perfect size. You know, for two people to share without being uncomfortable. So yeah, I don't see why that wouldn't be a good enough for us to share tonight." Waverly awkwardly crossed her arms.

Taking notice of Waverly's nervousness helped Nicole to relax. It was good to know that she wasn't the only one whose heart started racing at the thought of lying next to the other girl. She placed Waverly's bag on the floor. "Wave," Nicole said as she gently wrapped her arms around the brunette. "We don't have to share a bed. I'm sure we can figure something else out." Nicole noticed a tinge of pink on Waverly's face.

"No! It's fine. It's good. I'm good. Where's the bathroom?" Nicole directed her and Waverly quickly disappeared into the bathroom with her overnight bag.

As Nicole prepared the bed, her mind kept drifting to Waverly. How the girl moved away from her so fast and how her face was tinted pink. She couldn't help but to think that maybe she did something wrong.

Waverly finally made an appearance. She had changed into a tank top and (what Nicole thought were) the world's tiniest pair of shorts. "Wow," was all Nicole could vocalize.

"I wasn't thinking when I grabbed clothes to sleep in. I just wanted to leave the homestead as soon as I could." Waverly nervously ran a hand through her damp hair. It was her first night sleeping at Nicole's and she felt like she was already making a fool of herself. "I just hope your blankets are warm enough or else I'm gonna turn into a Popsicle!"

"Well, I could lend you a pair of fleece bottoms," Nicole suggested as soon as her brain started working properly again. "That is if you want. You can stay like if you're comfortable."

"I think fleece pants would be good. The nights have been freezing lately."

Nicole grabbed one of her fleece bottoms and handed them to Waverly. She excused herself to the restroom.

* * *

After she showered and readied herself for bed, she walked back into her bedroom. She was greeted with the sight of Waverly slowly swinging her leg around. Nicole watched as Buttercup awkwardly chased the excess material on Waverly's borrowed pants. The ridiculously long pants amused Nicole to no end. Nicole leaned on the doorframe, not wanting to disturb the two, and simply took in the view. Buttercup finally pounced on the material. The cat was rewarded with Waverly's nonsensical baby noises. Buttercup, to Nicole's surprise, seemed to be enjoying it.

"Aren't you the cutest thing ever?" Waverly asked.

Nicole's gaze was focused on where Waverly was petting her baby, but now they flickered up to Waverly's eyes. "What?"

"Hmm?" Waverly asked as she picked her head up and met Nicole's gaze. "Oh hey, Nicole. I was just talking to little Buttercup here."

Nicole prayed to every god that had ever been worshiped that her face was not turning red. There was a part of her that thought Waverly called her cute, but of course, it was Buttercup who had won her over.

"So, which side do you prefer?" Nicole asked trying to pull attention away from Buttercup.

"Depends. Where does Buttercup sleep?" Waverly asked as she started petting the cat again.

Nicole's shoulders dropped. She couldn't believe that she was actually competing with her cat for Waverly's attention.

"Well, she tends to sleep at the foot of the bed or wherever she deems worthy."

"Does she ever cuddle?" Waverly said as a small pout formed on her face.

Nicole wanted to groan. As much as she loved her baby, she wanted to be the one to comfort Waverly. She just wanted to yell 'I'm an amazing cuddler!' but now probably was not the time to bring that up. "She can," she answered. Then an "I know someone who does," escaped from Nicole's mouth unbeknownst to her.

Waverly's head popped up and now her full attention was on the redhead in front of her. "Wait a minute," Waverly said in an accusing tone, "Nicole, are you jealous?"

"W-what? Why would I be jealous?" Nicole's hands dropped to her waistband (A habit she formed since being a cop and meeting Waverly. It quickly became a common practice when she was around her.) "We should get some shut eye now," Nicole said in a rush as she adamantly avoided eye contact.

They settled into bed and Waverly turned her back towards Nicole. Nicole desperately wanted to hold Waverly, but she did not want to do anything Waverly did not want. So as she turned the lights off with her remote, she, too, turned her back to the other girl. Nicole could clearly hear the sound of Waverly's breathing become shaky and Buttercup's soft purring.

Nicole turned on her shoulder and faced Waverly. As her eyes adjusted, she could see the youngest Earp's silhouette. She saw the girl take a deep breath before she spoke up.

"You know," Waverly's voice came out small and even in the stillness, Nicole was straining to hear what was being spoken. "I remember things about Willa that...that aren't good."

"What do you mean," Nicole whispered back.

"Just that… I don't know. She just," Waverly took a deep breath before continuing, "she was never a **nice** sister. I can't really say that I ever truly missed her… God, you must think I'm terrible. My long-lost sister returns and all I can think about is how she wronged me."

Nicole held herself up on her forearm. "Waverly, no. I could never think of you like that. I'm sure you're just overwhelmed," she gently caressed her fingers on Waverly's arm. "Hey, just because she magically reappeared doesn't mean that old scars will disappear."

Waverly picked up Buttercup and turned around so she was now facing Nicole. "Do you mind if… um... would hold me?"

"Yeah," Nicole replied with a small smile. "But first," she sat up picked up the orange cat who lay between the two girls and moved her to the foot of the bed. Buttercup made several disgruntled noises which Nicole ignored. "Better. Now come here." She opened her arms.

Waverly turned around and backed up into Nicole who wrapped her arms around her. Nicole placed a small kiss on her cool brown hair.

"See? I'm a better cuddler than Buttercup."

Waverly giggled. "I can't believe you're jealous of your cat." Waverly felt Nicole shake her head.

"Not jealous. I just knew her cuddles can't compare to mine."

Waverly smiled in response and relaxed against Nicole. The feel of the redhead's heartbeat against her back lulled her to sleep.


End file.
